Health care issues: Paying for abortionsOctober 9th, 2009 Health care issues: Paying for abortionsA look at key issues in the health care debate:
THE ISSUE: Would new health care legislation allow abortions to be funded with tax money?
THE POLITICS: Abortion opponents say proposed government-sponsored health insurance plans would change federal policy by paying for abortions in many cases. For years, a restriction in the law that governs Medicaid — health insurance for the poor — has barred federal funding of abortions except in cases of rape, incest and danger to the mother's life.
Health care issues: Medicare cutsOctober 6th, 2009 Health care issues: Medicare cutsA look at key issues in the health care debate:
THE ISSUE: Will seniors' Medicare benefits be slashed to pay for health care overhaul?
THE POLITICS: Democrats are proposing to reduce the ballooning costs of Medicare to keep the program solvent. They want to root out waste to find the savings, and to reduce payments to some providers.
Health care issues: Are insurance market changes enough to fix the health care system?October 5th, 2009 Health care issues: Insurance market overhaulA look at key issues in the health care debate:
THE ISSUE: Are changes in the insurance industry enough to fix problems in the nation's health care system?
THE POLITICS: To help expand health coverage, President Barack Obama is seeking changes to underwriting practices that can prevent Americans from obtaining affordable insurance. His proposals would ban higher premiums, caps or denial of coverage because of a pre-existing medical condition or when a person gets sick.
Health care issues: How to pay doctors under MedicareOctober 1st, 2009 Health care issues: Medicare payments to doctorsA look at key issues in the health care debate:
THE ISSUE: Should health care legislation include a so-called "doc fix" — funding to adjust Medicare reimbursements for doctors so that they don't face annual pay cuts?
THE POLITICS: Democrats in the House and President Barack Obama have said they want health care legislation to include $245 billion to adjust Medicare payments for physicians. The money would ensure doctors' pay isn't cut, and solve a payment problem that Congress has fixed piecemeal for years.
Health care issues: Overutilization of careSeptember 25th, 2009 Health care issues: Overutilization of careA look at key issues in the nation's health care debate:
THE ISSUE: Health care costs in the United States are far higher than in other countries without better outcomes, and most experts agree that's partly because of the excessive and often unnecessary use of expensive tests, surgeries and procedures. Will health overhaul legislation address this?
THE POLITICS: Ezekiel Emanuel, an oncologist, White House adviser and brother of White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel, has written that there's a "perfect storm of overutilization" of health care in the United States that's the greatest contributor to high medical costs.
Health care issues: Using parliamentary maneuversSeptember 23rd, 2009 Health care issues: Using parliamentary maneuversA look at key issues in the health care debate:
THE ISSUE: If Senate Republicans continue to oppose Democratic plans to overhaul the nation's health care system, should majority Democrats employ a process called "reconciliation" to pass parts of it without Republican support?
THE POLITICS: Reconciliation is a procedure used to protect bills from being filibustered to death. It effectively lowers the threshold for Senate passage from 60 votes to a simple majority of 51.
Health care issues: Calculating the price tagSeptember 17th, 2009 Health care issues: Calculating the price tagA look at key issues in the health care debate:
THE ISSUE: Is the Congressional Budget Office doing an accurate job of calculating how much the health care overhaul will cost?
THE POLITICS: Democrats pushing for overhaul of the nation's health care system face a dilemma — they want to cover as many people as generously as possible, while limiting the cost to deflect Republican accusations that they are addicted to spending and tax increases. That makes every dollar count.
HHS announces Medicare pilot program with incentive payments for better primary careSeptember 16th, 2009 HHS announces Medicare pilot programWASHINGTON — The Obama administration announced a new Medicare pilot program Wednesday to strengthen primary care services for patients and cut costly emergency room visits — by offering financial incentives to doctors. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said the three-year pilot plan is modeled after a program being tested in Vermont.
Health care issues: What's the best treatment?September 16th, 2009 Health care issues: What's the best treatment?A look at key issues in the health care debate:
THE ISSUE: Researching which treatments work best and how much they cost, and how doctors and patients should use that information. THE POLITICS: On the surface, it seems like common sense: How different health conditions are treated — whether with surgery, drugs or managing diet and exercise, for example — should depend on what works best and costs least.
Health care issues: Shortage of primary care doctors and incentives to attract moreSeptember 15th, 2009 Health care issues: Shortage of doctorsA look at key issues in the health care debate:
THE ISSUE: Will there be enough doctors to provide care to millions of previously uninsured patients if health reform is passed?
THE POLITICS: With primary-care doctors in limited supply, Republicans opposed to sweeping reform say the health care system would be overwhelmed if nearly 50 million uninsured Americans are given coverage. As is, the American Academy of Family Physicians is predicting a shortage of 40,000 primary-care doctors by 2020, with medical schools graduating only half the number needed to meet demand.
Obama travels to Minneapolis on Saturday for rally by supporters of health care overhaulSeptember 12th, 2009 Obama to attend health care rallyWASHINGTON — President Barack Obama is traveling to Minneapolis for a rally on health care reform. Minnesota is an example of where Obama wants the rest of the country to go on health care.
Health care issues: Government spendingSeptember 9th, 2009 Health care issues: Government spendingA look at key issues in the health care debate:
THE ISSUE: Can taxpayers afford new subsidies to provide health insurance for millions in such a weak economy?
THE POLITICS: With a comprehensive insurance policy averaging nearly $13,000 a year for a family, covering nearly 50 million uninsured doesn't come cheap. Estimates range from $100 billion to $150 billion a year.
Democratic senator says splitting health care bill into separate measures unlikely to workAugust 23rd, 2009 Senator: Single health care bill a better approachWASHINGTON — A key Democrat in the health care debate says separating out the various issues and putting them in different bills isn't likely to work. Some lawmakers have suggested that a separate bill with changes that are supported by Republicans and Democrats would be one route toward progress on the health care overhaul.
Obama stepping up his push for health care overhaul with Rose Garden event todayJuly 15th, 2009 Obama stepping up push for health care overhaulWASHINGTON — President Barack Obama has scheduled an appearance in the White House Rose Garden today to talk about his top domestic priority: health care reform. The president wants the House and Senate to pass legislation overhauling the nation's health care system before lawmakers leave town for their annual August recess.
President Obama says he won't push health care plan on Congress, ready to hear other proposalsJune 11th, 2009 Obama: Cooperation with Hill needed on health careGREEN BAY, Wis. — President Barack Obama is vowing that he won't run roughshod over Congress in putting together legislation overhauling the country's health care system.
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